Haunting Evil
by DistantxRain
Summary: After a team under the US Government sent to investigate an unknown estate in Piedmont, Italy go missing, Leon S. Kennedy is sent to find them. Upon his search, he discovers a mysterious woman filled with fear and sorrow, leading him to face a challenge like none before. Rated M for contents in later chapters.
1. Prologue

**Hello, everyone. A few years ago, I uploaded this story in a previous account (which I don't use anymore) but never got to finish. I was just so busy with many things and in my spare time, sometimes got distracted by other stuff. It was dreadful anyway. But now Ive taken the time to start over with this fanfiction. And thanks to future RE games and learning of secret canon information of HG that was never revealed, I was able to turn things around in this story that makes me feel a little better about it. Im still bad at writing but I hope I've made improvements compared to the way it was before. Some changes also relate to discussions between me and my friend evilinsanity.  
**

**This story is set after Resident Evil 4 and after the first half of Haunting Ground's Ending D. So this story will contain spoilers from both games. **_(And just so you know, Fiona never abused Hewie here. That's the player's requirement to unlock the ending, remember?) _**So if you have not played/completed either game, prepare for the spoilers if you choose to read anyay. This story also contains swearing, violence and sexually suggestive contents!**

**Resident Evil, Haunting Ground and their characters belong to Capcom. This fanfiction and other characters are my own.**

**Enjoy!**

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HAUNTING EVIL  
Prologue

_"THAT, my dear, is what you will become in the future."_

_"...You WILL be mine..."_

_"...I've decided you shall give birth to me."_

_"Don't worry, I do not intend to kill you... if you would just lend me your womb."_

_"I shall be born again. This time, with YOUR Azoth."_

It was over. It was all over.

The last shred of hope was as futile as trying to grasp water with one's own hands. Every time those words would repeat in her head, her heart would continue to sink, her soul would fade away, her mind would fall apart. She was going crazy. Those exact words from _him_ would haunt her forever. She wasn't sure how long it had been since this nightmare began... but there was no point in going on. _He _had blocked every path she could take.

Her companion, her dear friend, could still out there. She feared he had lost to that bullet. The dreadful thought sent more tears to her eyes, staining her face and tangled in her lashes.

She didn't know what to do anymore.

It was too much to take.

She wanted to shut everything out, even her very own existence... To let the man who stole her life do as he will with the empty shell she was becoming, just to end it all...

To end the pain that ached her body tremendously...

Bruises blemished her pale skin. Blood trickled down her face, down her arm, down her thighs... soaking the bed sheets and her torn dress. She was curled in a ball in an attempt to hide the state she was in from her vision. She felt so numb but could not stop shaking and felt her sore throat lump but refused to let it escape past her lips.

She was completely convinced that she truly was doomed to live a life of eternal hell...

...in the castle _he _called her home...

* * *

**Not a nice start, eh?**


	2. Chapter One

**Hello again, everyone. I was pleased to see some still remembered and support this fanfic. I am very sorry for making you guys wait for so long and I hope you enjoy this updated version more than the original. For those who are new to this, I hope you enjoy it just as much.**

* * *

HAUNTING EVIL  
Chapter One

Leon Kennedy grunted as his alarm clock buzzed down his ear and woke him from a good night's sleep. Hardly able to get his eyelids open, he lifted his hand to silence the irritating noise and then glimpsed at the red digits... six in the morning. Slowly sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and the duvet fell, exposing his bare chest to the cold air. So he forced himself out of bed to grab a t-shirt from the drawers.

Later that morning, fully dressed after a hot shower, Leon was sat on the couch in the living room of his apartment, finishing his breakfast.

The news on the television began its next report, which was an update about a family of three that disappeared over half a year ago whilst on holiday, soon found dead in a wrecked vehicle, except for the teenage daughter who vanished into thin air. He remembered reading about it in a newspaper during his vacation after his mission in Spain.

A photograph of the family appeared on screen. The parents had their arms around their daughter's shoulders, smiling with pride and happiness. Along with the photo was footage, repeated from previous reports, of sobbing relatives and friends laying flowers in honour of their memory.

It was so depressing to watch. Even more so when the reporter announced that the search for the missing daughter was being withdrawn due to the lack of clues, suspects and witnesses. There were no signs of her whereabouts anywhere and the case turned cold in a short period of time. It was believed that she had presumably died as well. Relatives hired private investigators to continue the search when the local authorities called it off, regardless of the odds of finding her.

The report ended with hopes of her safe return as Leon's phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket and answered it after its fourth ring.

"Leon, here."

**"Leon, it's Ingrid," **spoke a woman.

"Hey, Hunnigan."

**"We need you here as soon as possible. There's an emergency."**

"An emergency? What happened?"

**"Just get to HQ. The chief at the office will inform you."**

"Alright, I'll be on my way."

* * *

A White German Shepherd treaded through an endless forest, slightly limping over his back leg, his goal firm in mind. He had to find her. He could never forget watching that horrible man carry her away in his arms...

Ahead of him were stone walls of a manor he and his friend once ventured together. He had circled it many times but could never find a way back in. Despite this, he did not give up. On his next round that morning, he came across something different.

There was a man lying on the ground with a terrible odour of blood and a frozen face of pain. The dog nudged him with his nose. When he could see that the man remained motionless, he began to smell the body to further investigate. On the man's neck was a clean-cut wound. The dog raised his head and looked around uneasily, softly whining.

He jumped when an unexpected static sound screeched out loud, coming from a device clutched in the man's hand.

**"...-Team? Do you read me? Come in! I repeat, do you—"**

The static noise stopped and then footsteps were heard, approaching somewhere from behind. It sounded too heavy to belong to who he was searching for, so he quickly hid in a nearby bush.

A large, muscular with a deformed left arm stomped past. His face had strange markings and a long scar from his eye to his chin. Attached to his shoulder was a sharp object with blood dripping from the tip. He reeked of a foul yet familiar scent which made the dog crouch lower in his hiding place.

The man carried a silver case and was heading towards the manor. The dog's eyes followed his every move as he walked across a path and up stairs leading to tall double doors. When he stopped in front of them, there was a clicking sound and the doors slowly opened outward, creaking loudly.

The dog emerged from the bush and rushed to catch up.

Instead of going inside, the man stood still. Then suddenly, he flung the sharp object at the dog. It had just missed, frightening the canine, causing him to yelp and run away, disappearing back into the forest.

The man huffed to himself, reaching to pick up his dagger. He recalled being told about a certain white dog.

_"So the mutt's still alive after all this time, huh?"_

Positive that everything was clear, he went into the mansion.

Inside was a hooded man. His outfit resembled a monk's attire. On his chest was a small, gold emblem. He was standing in front of a marble statue holding scales at the opposite side of the entrance hall. The scales were evenly balanced by the same weight with gold coins on one and a milky-white on the other. When the muscular man stood in the centre of the room, the hooded man removed the stone. The scale with coins tilted down and the double doors began to creak again, gradually closing, followed by the same clicking sound.

"I'm pleased to see you brought it back, Krauser," said the hooded man. "Did you take care of the last one?"

"Yeah. He almost got away but I managed to slit his throat," Krauser replied, spinning his dagger with a single hand.

"Good... but I shall keep the traps active. I am not willing to take any chances."

The hooded man reached his hand out and Krauser gave him the case. He opened it, feeling relaxed seeing a capsule with a purple glow inside. Staring at it for a moment, his eyes narrowed when he looked back at Krauser.

"Are you sure you also took care of that... Miss Ada Wong?"

Krauser frowned, wondering why he would ask such a question... and of all times...

"From what you have told me, she was just as troublesome as the dog was."

"It's like I said," Krauser started. "I snatched it right out of the woman's hands before the chopper crashed. She was in there bleeding to death when I checked on the site. Ada Wong is as good as dead."

The hooded man did not respond, sealing the case and made his leave.

"Make sure there are no more outsiders," he commanded. "Then see to it that Miss Belli is secured."

"...Yes, Riccardo," obeyed Krauser before walking off in his own direction.

These outsiders were definitely from the American government. He knew since he used to work for them himself. Why they would show an interest in a place like this was beyond him.

Riccardo was furious when he found out about their arrival, demanding to know how the estate was discovered, how they got in. He had even accused Krauser of luring them over at first, which was quite insulting. The mercenary was able to prove himself by dealing with them personally. Most were foolish enough to fall for the ancient booby traps that were hidden well. Listening to the sounds of their suffering felt so satisfying...

However, Riccardo's biggest concern was the girl. He always bragged about her like she was the rarest treasure to possess. Sure, she was a real sight for sore eyes but sometimes it was a little disturbing how much he was obsessed with her. He never gave a lot of details. Just that it was vital that she stayed put.

Krauser grumbled to himself. The questioning of Ada bothered him. It made him think back to that moment back in Spain...

* * *

_"That's a large thing you have there," mocked the woman in red._

_He could feel his body weakening at a dramatic rate, his blood oozing from his wounds and spread across the metallic platform. He could barely move. His mutated left arm decreased in size. Rage consumed his mind over the humiliation of defeat._

_"...but I don't like it when men play rough," she finished, cocking her head._

_And with that, she stepped over his arm and walked away._

_'Come back here!' he wanted to shout, though no sound was made. 'This isn't over! Get back here, you fucking bitch!'_

_His right hand clenched tightly, knowing he had no choice. Mustering whatever strength he had left, he reached into one of his side pockets and pulled out a small vial filled with a red fluid..._

* * *

Her face was priceless when she saw Krauser in the helicopter, especially after she stole the sample from their old friend.

It was worth using the 'supply' given to him. If not for that precious gift, he would have been left there to rot. It was still disappointing because he had already used the first vial after the fight with that damn government agent. He could not risk the third, so he sent it to a safe place after Ada-... defeated him. He really hated that word.

Jack Krauser swore to himself that HE would be the one to have the last laugh.

* * *

**Don't be mad at me, Ada fans! There's an explanation that will be revealed later, promise!**


	3. Chapter Two

**Heya, folks. Hows it going? I was gonna upload this sooner but I got held back with some things I had to take care of. I also would like to apologize for minor mistakes made in previous chapters. Sometimes Microsoft Word fails to point them out to me and I miss when when I dont look out for them properly. Corrections have been made in deviantArt where this story is also uploaded. You can find a link to it in my profile. **

**Hope you enjoy Chapter Two!**

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HAUNTING EVIL  
Chapter Two

"Sweetheart? Can you hear us?"

A young woman's eyes fluttered open. There were two people smiling down at her. She felt like she couldn't breathe when she saw their faces. She stared at them in shock and bewilderment.

"...Mum? Daddy?"

"How are you feeling, dear?" asked her mother.

The woman looked back and forth between her parents. Then she noticed she was in a hospital room, tucked in a bed with them standing on each side.

"H-How...?"

"There was an accident. You've been asleep this whole time. We were really worried about you," her father explained.

"An accident?"

"Yes. And now that you're awake, everything is going to be alright."

"B-but... You both were—" the woman stuttered, becoming restless. "I was trapped and couldn't get away! They kept on chasing me and—and—"

The mother hushed her daughter, stroking the light blonde hair on top of her head.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay... You just had a bad dream," she assured.

"...Dream?"

The woman began to relax. Was everything... really just a dream? None of it happened at all? That meant her parents were... Relief swamped through her. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink into the mattress, soothed by the comfort from her mother and father. This was what she yearned for. Exactly this for so long...

As soon as she was eased with contentment, the unforgettable sound of a gun reloading snapped her eyes back open. The room was darker than it was minutes ago. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw at that moment...

She could only gape in horror when her father aimed a flintlock pistol at her mother and pull the trigger.

The woman's scream was almost mute under the gunshot's deafening blast.

The mother's blood splattered on the wall before she fell back against it and slumped to the floor. The woman whimpered helplessly. The insides of her mother's head could easily be seen through the hole the bullet had made as more blood leaked from it.

"Daddy!?" the woman cried, turning to her father for what he had done.

He peered down at her, sneering sadistically. Cracks started to appear on his face. Pieces of skin fell off like egg shells. He appeared to be the same man and like someone different at once. A person she wanted to forget. She tried to lift herself from the bed but felt restraint. When she looked to see what was pinning her down, she found herself no longer on a bed. She was strapped to an examination table.

The room had transformed into a medical room she knew she had been in before. The father's garments had changed into 'monk-like' clothing.

The terror in her rose and he laughed as she panicked and struggled against the straps. He then reached down to claim her as his...

"NOOO!"

The young woman's eyes shot open again. She took a sharp intake of breath and realized that she was alone.

Panting as she looked around, she saw a blazing fireplace at the other side of the room, a ticking grandfather clock to its right. There was a door between the fireplace and a queen-sized bed she was on. She was in a guest suite.

Reality came back to her and she sobbed, throwing her hands on her face, willing herself to calm down after another cruel, traumatizing nightmare. Not even her own dreams could offer sanctuary.

When her heart rate returned to normal, she pulled the thick quilt off and stood up, her white nightdress spilling to her ankles. Her bare feet jumped as it touched the freezing surface. Near the bed were windows from the ceiling to floor. One had a jagged hole, like someone had smashed it. An incident she remembered well. No one had done anything to mend it. A breeze drifted in and blew through her hair. She walked down a small set of steps close to the grandfather clock and to undamaged windows. Beside them were an empty birdcage and a second door.

The view of freedom tempted her. Outside, past the huge castle gate doors was a wide forest. Ahead of that were tall mountains. It was all she saw. She doubted she would ever see what was behind those high hills. The young woman sighed to herself, looking down at her hands.

Just then, out of the blue, images of them stained with blood and a corpse on her lap flashed in her mind.

They made her shudder, her hands tightening into fists. She pressed them to her head, shaking it hard to try and make the memory go away.

Her thoughts came to a halt when someone began to bash the door near the bed. Startled, she spun around with a slight gasp.

"Open up!" a deep voice demanded through the door.

The woman took a step back. She had heard that voice before yet it still surprised her. It was the mercenary that came to the castle a few months ago. A man that was certainly not from the castle. She never spoke to him in person but his brute personality intimidated her. And now he was coming here?

Fearfully, she called out, "W-What do you want?"

* * *

Leon could see how hectic things were when he finally turned up at the office. It was the same when the President's daughter, Ashley Graham, was abducted a year ago. People were rushing around in haste but he did not have the time to talk to any of them. He was ordered to go straight to where the chief in command was waiting.

"Leon, thank you for coming in on such short notice," he greeted, gesturing the government agent to sit on the chair in front of his desk.

"It's no problem, sir," Leon replied as he sat down. "So, what's up?"

The chief rubbed his forehead. He seemed to be stressed.

"...Three months ago, we received an anonymous e-mail of concern. We're still trying to identify who sent it to us as we speak."

He took out a file from one of the drawers of his desk and handed it to Leon.

"Even though you confirmed that you killed one of our former agents, Jack Krauser, during the Los Illuminados event, the sender believes he may still be alive."

Leon looked up at the chief, wondering if he heard correctly. _"Krauser's... alive? But how is that possible?"_

"What?" he questioned.

"These photos came with the e-mail. As you can see, they are all of a male individual that match Krauser's description."

Leon flicked through each one. True to word, they were of a man with features similar to Krauser's, although he couldn't tell for sure if it really was him. They were taken from outside, pointing downward at various angles to a window where the man could be seen inside. The photographs were of poor quality, heavily pixelated.

"They were taken at an isolated estate in Piedmont, Italy," the chief continued. "Its location wasn't known so we had to follow satellite co-ordinations provided by the e-mail. Shortly after, we dispatched a unit of five from our Spec Ops Field Unit to investigate this matter."

The chief then passed six more files to Leon.

"One of our own agents actually volunteered to participate in the mission when he learned of it."

"Volunteered?"

"Charles Dawson," said the chief, pointing to the top file in Leon's hand. "He stated that he once knew someone who had connections to the place years ago and also knew how to get there."

Leon opened the file and picked up a photo of a man in his early forties with blonde, ageing hair. The name rang a bell. He did not know him personally but was told good things.

"We lost contact with them for a while until this morning. But the signal was too weak to determine their status."

"Forgive me for asking, sir," interrupted Leon. "But... why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"Because we don't have enough to prove that it is Krauser or not. And considering your history with him, we didn't want to risk anything...Now, it seems we may have no choice. I want you to find our men and track this man down. If it is Krauser, it can be a great threat. You of all people know that."

The government agent stared back at the chief in command, not feeling comfortable.

"If you make a positive ID... neutralize him."

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews! I thought I should personally reply to each one personally but I think I oughta reply to them here too like I did before. Plus its fun :3**

**Glaring Eyes - **Im glad you remember this story. Yes, I decided to sneak in a few things early into the story than what I had originally planned. You'll just have to wait and see :D**  
**

**FrameofReality -** Heya! Nice to see you here in . Aww, thank you!**  
**

**talisman - **Thanks! That makes me feel a relieved since Im not too fond of my own writing lol


	4. Chapter Three

**Hello again, everyone! I'm very sorry for the delay. I did plan to upload this much earlier but I've just been busy lately, working on this in-between whenever I could. And I confess half of my free time was spent on Resident Evil 6 lol and I rushed this one a little. Thanks for the wait and to those who have reviewed. Sorry for the re-upload. I always fail to notice typos until AFTER I publish. Ive corrected them now, hoping I havent missed any, so it should be alright now**

**Enjoy!**

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HAUNTING EVIL  
Chapter Three

Leon leaned back in his cushioned seat and glanced out of the window, already in a private plane flying straight to Italy. He had little time to prepare after talking to the chief.

_"Neutralize... A nice word for 'kill',"_ he thought to himself bitterly while he was re-reading through the files given to him.

He honestly had no idea of what to think about Krauser being alive. He found it hard to believe, thinking back to the last encounter with him.

In the middle of a war zone filled with Ganados, victims of a parasite known as Las Plagas, Krauser staged an arena at a sand fortress to kill Leon. It was then that he discovered Krauser had given in to the temptation of the power Las Plagas could give. Somehow, he was able to avoid falling under its manipulative control like the ones responsible for the entire incident, the leaders of the occult Los Illuminados, Bitores Mendez, Ramon Salazaar and Osmund Saddler.

However, despite Krauser's efforts, it was Leon who managed to have the upper hand. He was the victor of their fight and continued his mission to rescue Ashley. There was no way Krauser could have survived such injuries. His chest had a hole that reached to his heart due to the parasites crumbling inside of him. The only ones Leon ever knew to come back from the dead were the actual zombies he saw in Raccoon City, 1998 and then in South America three years ago.

In the end though, Leon knew he had to accept the possibility. The horrors he had seen and the things he had learned during his time as both a rookie cop and a government agent made him aware of the capabilities done by man. A part of him just didn't feel too keen about the mission. Perhaps it was because he was still annoyed at the fact that his supervisors never told him about the whole issue to begin with. Of course, he was concerned for the team as everyone else was, but why did they choose that morning to tell him and not any time before? Either way, he was willing to find them.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kennedy..."

Leon blinked and turned to one of the stewardesses addressing him.

"We're about to land very shortly," she said. "Please be sure to pack away your belongings and to put your seatbelt back on."

"Oh, sure."

The stewardess smiled as he did as instructed and carried on past his seat.

After landing, Leon walked down the steps, thanking the pilot and got a surprise seeing none other than Ingrid Hunnigan waiting a few feet in front of him. Behind her were two men that fitted the 'stereo-type' image of a classic bodyguard, wearing black suits and shades.

"You know, you could have told me you'd be here instead of pulling a hocus-pocus act," Leon retorted lightly, shrugging his bag over his shoulder so it wouldn't fall.

Hunnigan adjusted her glasses, her behaviour as serious as ever.

"I apologize for not notifying you about my presence, Leon. As you can probably tell, I will be your communication officer again for this mission."

* * *

Not wasting any time, they headed off to their base to brief Leon with more detail and went straight to business as soon as they arrived. Images and maps were displayed on a projection screen on the wall. Hunnigan held a laser pointer.

"We marked a perimeter around the location," an image taken from a birds-eye view appeared on the screen. There was a ring marked in the centre and inside was a building surrounded by trees within a circle of mountains. "And these shots were taken by our men before they entered the premises."

They were close to the building. The walls were made of stone and reached up high with pointed rooftops.

"It looks like a castle," noted Leon. It reminded him of the Salazaar Castle.

"Yes, it does. These ones were taken from the inside."

The photos shown next were of various rooms one would imagine in an old castle, each well-furnished, yet all were dark and gloomy. Cobwebs and dirt covered everything. It was like the manor had been abandoned for some time.

"We don't know for sure how many are residing there other than the target but we suspect they could be hostile."

She flicked to the next image which disturbed Leon. It was of a woman in a long-sleeved dress with an apron tied around her thin waist. She must have been a maid. A large shard of glass was pierced through her chest between her breasts and pinned her to the ground in a standing position, her back arching as her arms hung out-wide. Blood poured down her body, the glass and along the ground past other segments of glass at her feet. The thing that made the photo most disturbing was that the dead woman had tears of blood on her face... and she was smiling.

"I want you to be careful out there, Leon," said Hunnigan. "It is clearly dangerous inside. One of our men had a camera on him and thanks to that, we are aware that the manor is infested with death traps. You have experience in handling those, so I trust you'll be able to evade them."

_"Great...!"_ Leon thought sarcastically.

"Obviously, we also suspect that the residents could be held responsible for the disappearance of the team. So please do proceed with caution."

"A hidden castle in the middle of nowhere filled with traps... sounds like a big 'Keep Out' sign," Leon commented dryly.

Hunnigan nodded in agreement. "Apparently so."

"How do I get there, then?"

To answer his question, she typed in a few buttons on a keyboard connected to the projector and the screen returned to the image above the castle. After typing in a few more, the screen zoomed out further.

"Agent Dawson informed us on an enclosed town called Versante up north to the manor," she said, pointing the red laser in hand to it, then down to the castle.

"There is a single path leading to a trail through the forest that will take you there. You will be escorted close to Versante and from there, you can make your way using that path. You mustn't let your presence become known once you're in, at least not so soon. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yeah," Leon replied.

"Good. We have a group stationed close to the south of the manor monitoring and updating whatever we can get. I will be positioned there when you begin your mission. You have all of your equipment including your firearm and radio, so be sure to report as much as you can."

"Will do."

"A back-up team is prepared should anything go wrong. Call them right away if you deem it necessary. We have no clue on what these people can do, especially if Krauser really is involved in this."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Leon was dropped off at Versante as scheduled.

The place was small yet peaceful and quiet. Trees with fresh green leaves stood tall right up close to the rural town's edges, making it feel secluded and private. In the distance, more trees were seen on the mountains.

The townsfolk were living their daily lives. Some were walking to their destinations, shopkeepers called out to potential customers. As Leon strolled past a few children playing football, he smiled, almost feeling envious of the simple lifestyle everyone there was fortunate to have.

Using a GPS that was installed into his radio, he followed directions to the far end of Versante. The further Leon got, the fewer the amount of people could be seen. He saw an open pathway that thinned down to the trail into the forest that Hunnigan spoke of. A long split-rail fence stretched far and wide across the path. He began to walk towards it and the people around noticed with shock in their eyes, whispering to each other.

"Che cosa sta facendo?"

"Egli non può andare!"

One man with dark hair felt compelled to speak up to the passing visitor, unlike the others who were too afraid to take a step close to the path.

"Mi scusi," he called out, which succeeded for Leon stopped and turned to him.

"Avete un desiderio di morire?"

"Pardon me?" asked Leon who looked confused.

"Ah, you... speak English?"

"Yeah, I do," he answered, relieved of not having an awkward conversation between two languages. "Sorry, I only know a few Italian words."

"It's fine but... you must be new here. Otherwise you would know better about the road you stand on."

"What do you mean?"

"No one dares to enter the Caos Foresta. Many years ago, people were known to vanish in there, especially women. To this day, rumours still stir among Versante."

Leon looked back at him sceptically, wondering in those words had any connection to the missing Spec Ops unit or if he was just trying to mess with him. It sounded like one of those cliché warnings in a movie. He motioned his head in a nod, not wanting to be rude regardless.

"I appreciate it, but I've got no choice. I'm searching for a group that should have passed here not long ago. Maybe you or someone else might have seen them?"

The man gave him a raised eyebrow of his own. "Are you some kind of police officer or a detective?"

Leon chuckled as he reached into his pocket. "Not exactly..."

He took out six photographs of the men and presented them to the man. The other people kept their distance as they continued to stare with wary expressions. The man flicked through them, not recognizing any of the men until he saw the last photo.

"Now that's a face I never thought I'd see again," he spoke in awe.

"Which one?"

Leon tilted his head and realised that it was Charles' picture. The man gave the photos back to him.

"We hardly ever get any visitors here. He arrived almost twenty years ago. I was just a boy then. He was asking around, claiming he was looking for his sister. I heard my father tell him that he saw her with someone going into Coas Foresta in a car."

"Did he find her?" inquired Leon.

The man shrugged. "I'm not sure. He went into the forest and I never saw him again after that. I didn't even think he ever came back out."

"I see."

Leon glanced back at the forest in thought, making a mental note to check into the information the man had just told him later with Hunnigan. He didn't know that Charles came to a town like this for such a reason. Yet he knew he couldn't afford to lose time when on duty.

"Well, thank you for your cooperation. I gotta get going."

The men tensed at first but soon his shoulders dropped. "I guess I cannot change your mind... You're really going in there alone?"

Leon smiled a little. "I've been through worse. Trust me on that one...!"

"Then... I wish you luck," he sighed. "But I think you're crazy now."

Leon smirked to his humour and waved goodbye before walking back to the fence and hoist himself over it.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" the man yelled out as Leon entered the forest.

He truly did wish the newcomer a safe journey, uncomfortable to just let him wonder off into a place that haunted Versante for centuries...

* * *

The forest had to be much bigger than the birds-eye image implied. It was going on forever. He must have been travelling for what felt like a few hours. During that time, he let Hunnigan know about the man and what he had told him and she assured she would dig more into Versante's history. His feet were tired as he climbed up the grounds that kept on growing. He relied on the GPS to show him the way, leaning against a tree to take a breather. After resting for a minute, he went on, looking down the cliffs he walked close to.

Leon soon came across a mark on another tree. He gazed at it, brushing his fingers along the trunk. It appeared to have been damaged by gunshot some time ago. Behind it, he spotted walls through the other trees that were cramped together.

He brought his binoculars to his eyes to get a closer look, zooming in. He was certain it was the castle. He saw windows but it was too dark to see inside. Directly ahead was a wide area with matching arched stairs leading up to lampposts and pillars in front of tall double doors. To stay safe, he got his Beretta 92S gun in hand and stayed near the trees and bushes for cover. He remained low and crept down a hill, almost slipping over a couple of damp leaves. After maintaining his balance once he reached the bottom, he was more careful not to cause any forms of disturbance to trigger any traps or to alert anyone there.

As Leon got closer, he thought he heard something, like an animal whining. He hid behind a hedge and peeked over it. There was a white German Shepherd tapping his paw against one of the double doors. His fur was filthy and scruffy and wrapped around one of his back legs was an old bandage. It resembled a dog of the same breed Leon saved from a bear trap when he was on his last mission.

_"This couldn't be the same dog, could it?"_

The space between him and the dog was too far apart so he didn't think he should risk going over. Nearby was a sign post that read 'Chaos Forest'.

_"No one dares to enter the Caos Foresta."_

The man's warning... Once someone went in, they wouldn't come out, he practically said. Did it really have something to do with the manor? Before Leon could think about it anymore, he saw someone lying on the ground soaked in blood. He quickly made his way and knelt down beside him. It was one of the missing men. There was a deep slash across his neck and a rotten smell coming from him which attracted insects indicated he had been dead for a while. Leon covered his nose and shifted back, grabbing his radio and talked in a low voice when Hunnigan answered.

"Hunnigan, I'm outside the location and I've found Ben Tyler. He's dead... It looks like someone slit his throat."

Through the screen, he could see sympathy wash over her face. She nodded despondently.

**"I'll report this. You hurry and find the rest. They could still be alive."**

"I will. Leon out."

They both hung up after that and he put the radio away. He was soon distracted when he heard something creep behind him. On instinct, he spun around in a flash with his dagger ready but lowered his weapon immediately seeing the white German Shepherd in front of his. His chocolate brown eyes gave him an identical look of recognition.

"Hey there," said Leon calmly.

The dog walked forward and stood next to him, staring at the corpse and then back at him, whining sadly. Leon rested his hand over the dog's back. The canine didn't seem to mind and sat on the spot.

"I know, horrible."

Leon stared at the dog, wondering what he was doing out in the forest on his own. If this was the same dog, how did he get from Spain all the way over here?

_"This dog's probably had one hell of an adventure...!"_

The German Sheppard got up on all fours and turned back towards the manor. Leon stood and watched him bark in a signal to follow.

"Something you wanna show me, boy?"

He didn't feel right about leaving Ben the way he was. He always hated walking away from bodies of innocent victims, especially if they were someone he knew. But at that time, he had no choice. Reluctantly, he tagged along the dog's trail who did not return to the manor's entrance. Instead, they went past to the right beside the walls. Leon wasn't exactly planning to have the dog to help him out but temporarily, he thought it might have been handy. He noticed his bandaged leg slightly stooped as he strode ahead of him but was not slowing down by any means.

They kept on going and gradually found a black bar fence with a graveyard behind a smaller fence. Leon hid against the little brick wall below them as he inspected the place. From the left corner were stone stairs leading up to a door. There were many uneven gravestones, some broken because of overgrowing branches from bushes.

Leon heard the dog bark again. The canine was pointing his head to a gap at the bottom of the wall, trying to dig at an already-made hole underneath it. Yet it was blocked on the other side by a crate. Leon's brows frowned. It was like someone was trying to prevent entry... Prevent this dog from coming in? Maybe he was reading too much into things.

He held one bar in his hand and looked up. There were no barb wires at the top of the fence. He could easily climb over it. Leaning down towards the dog, he rubbed his head between his ears in thanks, hoping he would be better off out in the forest than the dangers of the manor. As he lifted himself over into the graveyard, his knees bending as he landed on his feet, the dog began to yap at him, objecting to be left alone in the woods. Leon stared at him, feeling bad as he listened to his howling pleas. So he pushed the crate out of the way and the dog instantly crawled through.

Once he was in, Leon moved to hide behind the stairs. Looking at the gravestones, he observed they all read the name 'Aureolus Belli'. The earliest birth and death dates engraved dated back to the 1500s.

_"Belli? Isn't that the same name as...?"_

Leon shook his head to himself, taking the thought as a mere coincidence. There was another graveyard at the other side of a different fence but the gate to it was locked by a sturdy padlock. He figured he should start by going upstairs and rushed up to the top. The dog remained close to him. Luckily for them, the door was unlocked. Still, he wasn't going to drop his guard for a second.

They walked into a long corridor with dull red lights, the room engulfed by its colour. The floor had square tiles and there were several doors. It would have been enough to slow anyone down. They went through each one and Leon closed them all, making sure not to leave any changes to arouse suspicion if anyone was to come here. There were also broken vase pieces between the doors as well as a chair.

When he opened the final door, they stepped onto a U-shaped balcony over an entrance hall. He saw what had to be the inside of the double doors. Down below, another door opened and Leon crouched against the wall. Someone came in, sighing whilst closing that door and the dog's nose and ears twitched. Then out of the blue, he began to bark out loud.

"Hewie...?" a female voice called up, soft and elegant.

The dog barked again in response.

"Hewie!"

The person dashed past a statue and through a second door. The dog continued to bark and took off before Leon could do anything.

"Hey!"

He followed the dog who ran into an old laboratory with an unusual machine. Leon slowed as he stared at it in puzzlement, spotting a face at the top. The dog was desperately scratching at another door with a window and he opened it for him, bewildered by the canine's eager behaviour. He watched the dog rush across a smaller corridor and down some stairs at a corner to the person from the hall who caught up to him.

"Hewie! You're alright!"

Leon hid at the corner and peered around carefully. The person was a young woman with platinum blonde hair on her knees hugging the white German Shepherd tightly. The dog was just as overjoyed to see her. He couldn't stop licking her face and his tail was wagging with excitement.

_"Guess he must be her dog. Who is she?"_ thought Leon. He was sure he had seen her somewhere before.

The woman leaned back and at that moment, she saw him spying on her and gasped instantly. She got up and ran away, calling the confused dog who left with her.

_"Damn!"_ Leon went after her. "Wait!"

He had to catch up to her. If she was one of the residents that was a part of the team's disappearance, she could alert others about him. She was fast, even in the long dress she was wearing. He pushed himself so he wouldn't lose sight of her. Leon chased her down a semi-circular path with pillars and saw them running through a grey door next to a set of drawers and a wardrobe. When he ran in, he found them standing at the other side.

"Debilitas, no!" the woman yelled.

As soon as Leon entered the hall, a huge hunchback of a man with a disfigured face came charging at him and rammed his massive fist across his face. He cried out in pain and was sent flying to the ground.

Groaning with agony, Leon rolled onto his back. His head was ringing and dizziness swirled like a tornado. White dots danced before his eyes as he tried to open them. Although his sight was blurry and doubled, he could see his attack stomp towards him. The hunchback grunted heavily with distrust. Without any warning, he raised his hands together to crush the agent's skull. Leon's chest tightened, unable to move away.

"Stop!" the woman protested as the dog at her side snapped angrily.

The hunchback froze upon hearing her demand. He stared at her and his hands slowly sunk before snarling back at Leon who was still struggling to recover.

The woman held her breath as she waited to see what he would do. To her relief, he stood upright and bowed to her, as though she was royalty. And just like that, he simply walked away and left the room. She sighed and then gaped at the man lying on the floor. Lifting a hand above her bosom, she cautiously approached him.

Leon saw her now standing next to him through his hazy vision. _"Who... are you?"_

A door suddenly burst open, making the woman jump. Two men stormed in and the dog started to growl at them. One was big and muscular, the target. He grabbed her arm and dragged her away with ease. Leon heard the dog bark and run after them.

The second was dressed in something entirely brown with a hood over his head. He walked up to the government agent and glared down at him.

Leon's sight was fading to black and gradually, he fell unconscious with the mysterious woman lingering in his mind...

* * *

**Sucks to be Leon! lol**

**Truth be told, I don't really speak Italian and I don't know anyone personally who does to ask. I only know just as much as Leon probably does. I looked up translation websites and hoped for the best, even trying reverse translations to be sure. I apologise for any errors if they bother you.  
**"Che cosa sta facendo?" - "What is he doing?"  
"Egli non può andare!" - "He can't go in there!"  
"Mi scusi," - "Excuse me,"  
"Avete un desiderio di morire?" - "Do you have a death wish?"

**GlaringEyes -**You'll just have to wait and see once more chapters come along. Hopefully this one has given you enough for now as a preview :]

**Mr.A -**Thank you very much. I prefer to write one story at a time and I do plan to write more once HE is complete. I just need to think of which out of all the stories I have in mind lol.

**Joel -** Again, I'm very sorry. I do try to work as fast as a can but sadly, reality calls me quite often :c


	5. Chapter Four

**Hello again! I was able to get this chapter done sooner than I expected... Yay! lol**

Enjoy!

* * *

HAUNTING EVIL  
Chapter Four

Time felt as slow as always for the young woman but at the same time, so different. Her dog was patiently lying on his side as she examined his leg. His fur was brighter, no longer filthy when she managed to take him to a restroom and wash him as best as she could. Not long after, Krauser appeared and locked them both in the guest suite. The two were able to relax when he was finally gone.

"How did you survive out there on your own, Hewie?" she whispered to him.

He had to have been in the Chaos Forest for a few months so it was a wonder he didn't look skinny in any way. Did he find a source of food to keep himself alive for that long? She didn't know but he seemed to be healthy and behaved the way he usually would.

The wound healed over time but not fully, noticeable by the slight limping when he walked. It miraculously didn't look infected either and he was capable of running, so that had to mean something good. Just in case, she wrapped a fresh bandage around his leg and then picked up a cylinder tube she left on the bedside table. Next to it was a lamp and a key with a mark on it. A label on the tube's lid said 'Magna Esca'. She took it from the kitchen before giving Hewie a bath. After opening it, she poured a small amount of a special kind of concoction made specifically for dogs onto her palm, kneeling on the floor to offer it to him which he was thrilled to take.

A ghost of a smile graced her face as he ate. How happy she was to have him beside her again. It must have been that man who let him into the castle. How else could Hewie have gotten in? She was very grateful. But now she felt terrible for that man had been caught because of her. It was never her intention. Shaking her head, she placed the tube back, picking up the key and took a seat in a red wingback chair.

When Hewie was finished, he looked up at her and tilted his head sideways. There was something about her that wasn't the same even though he couldn't understand what it was. He just somehow knew that she had changed. As she twisted the key between her fingers, he rested his head on her knee with puppy eyes. The corners of her lips curled a little and gently, she scratched his head.

The door behind them was beginning to unlock and her smile was gone. She hid the key under the cushion of the chair and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep as Hewie stood in a cautious stance. She didn't need to look to see who it was. The hooded man walked in front of her and watched with a cold stare.

He reached down and caressed her cheek. She shuddered in repulse but reacted to move slightly, like she was only shifting in her sleep. Riccardo's expression faltered when he turned to Hewie who was gazing at him warily. He frowned at him before chuckling at the woman, seeing through her act.

"The mercenary shall escort you in ten minutes," he said to her and left, making sure the door was locked once more.

* * *

The feeling was not at all pleasant for Leon when he felt himself come to. A pounding headache thumped in his head and he groaned, rubbing his temple to soothe the pain, not that it was doing much help.

He soon became aware that he was lying on something soft yet very uncomfortable. He could feel things poking his back. When his senses were more in focus, he pried his eyelids open and found himself in a shack. The ceilings and walls were made of wood. He sat up and realised he was on a dirty, rough bed. Springs were sticking out of the flat mattress. No wonder his back was aching. Leon got up and tried to stretch, making himself wince.

There was a strange display before him. A board lay on top of a pile of boxes to form what he figured to be an alter. On either end were candles and in the middle was a cloth with a skull, a teddy bear and flowers on top. The wall above had unusual framed pictures and yellow frilly material dangled around them. Next to the alter were dolls and other cuddly toys scattered along the floor. Most were grubby and broken.

"Where am I?"

As the question was spoken, it hit him that he was still alive. That woman... she had to have been the one who saved him from that big guy. Wait—those other men. They could have easily killed him but they didn't. That could mean they want something from him. Were the rest of the Spec Ops unit captured somewhere in the castle, too?

_"I better contact Hunnigan."_

When Leon reached for the pocket that held his radio, he was puzzled feeling nothing. He looked down and saw that it was empty. So was the sheath that carried his gun, his attaché pack connected to the back of his belt with extra ammo, even his dagger was missing. He checked his jacket's pockets, including the inner ones, and they were empty as well. All of his inventory was gone.

_"These guys are smarter than the ones from the Los Illuminados."_

Now he couldn't report to Hunnigan and he couldn't call for back-up either. It was history being repeated all over again.

"Perfect, looks like I'm on my own for now..."

He walked up to the door to leave but it wouldn't open. It barely did, blocked on the outside by a small padlock. So to solve this problem, Leon took a couple of steps back and ran forward, breaking it off and busted the door wide open with a powerful high kick.

Once he was out, he took in his surroundings. The sky had darkened into night. There was a barrel lit with fire by the edge of a brick wall. Ahead were lampposts and a platform with ladders leading up to somewhere. With little options on his side, he decided to have a look around. He needed to find a weapon fast.

As one foot moved in front of the other, thoughts of the woman came floating back to him. There was something familiar about her. He couldn't tell what it was. First she ran away from him, and then she saved his life. Why would she when she seemed to be afraid of him?

He turned the corner around the platform to a courtyard with a tunnel at the right and a raised gate to the left. Before deciding which way to go first, footsteps were coming so he hid behind the corner. Judging by the sound, there were two people.

"When you're done scouting, return Miss Belli to the mansion," said one.

Leon strained his ears to listen better. Male, possibly middle aged.

"...and see to it that you lock her in her chambers. I doubt she will be any trouble but now that the mutt is with her again, I do not want her to attempt another escape. That thing should be harmless now, though. You saw the way she begged for the four-legged bugger to be spared."

They actually threatened to kill the dog? Leon didn't know who this man was but he was already starting to sound like a real asshole. He had to be talking about that blonde woman. Was she being held hostage here?

"How ironic it is that her precious canine is what helps us keep her in line..."

The footsteps and voice faded and were soon gone. Leon took the left path under the gate when the coast was clear, the opposite of where the people went off to. There were a few more barrels, further on were some stairs and in between was a door with statues on each side of it. He approached it and turned the handle silently, unsure of what or who could be inside. He went in and found a small lounge.

A tall, golden harp that was four times his height was seen and behind it was a collection of violins. A music room, maybe? A fallen bookshelf lay on the diamond checkered floor yet all of the other furniture didn't appear to be misplaced. At the back below a small balcony were fancy chairs and a sofa around a table with a candle holder. He about to move on until something caught his eye in the shadows...

"What the hell?"

On the sofa was a human sized figure of a pregnant woman, her hand on her swollen abdomen. He walked past the table towards it and knelt on his knee.

_"Creepy..."_

Whoever cared it took a lot of time with painstaking devotion. It was far too detailed to be made out of something like a hobby, especially the face. The nose was smoothly shaped; a small dimple was on the chin, the hair lightly curled in separate strands at the bottom behind the back of the neck. It almost looked real, like it could come to life.

* * *

The woman opened her eyes. Her mind was still bothered about the man. After Riccardo and Krauser ordered Debilitas to take the newcomer away, she followed and secretly asked to put him somewhere safe. She wasn't sure where Debilitas took him but she hoped he was alright. Riccardo would have killed him yet Krauser stopped him, claiming to know him and had a score to settle.

It may have bought the man some time but how much did he have before Krauser or even Riccardo would come for him? The one who reunited her with Hewie was in trouble. She had to do something...

She took out the key she had hidden and then stared at her yellow gown. She was going to have to move fast but it wouldn't be easy in a long skirt. As she thought of it, an idea came to her and she rose from her seat to a set of drawers by the bed, putting the key down on top of it. She opened the top drawer and inside was a memorable medieval white dress with a purple mini skirt. Attached to the silky material was a blue stone. She hadn't worn it for a while but it was still in good condition. A pair of brown boots sat on the floor next to the drawers. She held the dress up, thinking carefully about the consequences her actions could bring. Things were bound to go wrong if she was really going to help the man but she couldn't sit and do nothing. So she laid the dress on the bed and began to change clothes.

Along with the dress were black knee-length socks and she slid them on after placed the gown into the drawer. She dressed into the white one, tying blue ribbons at the back into a bow and put the boots on next. How strange it felt to be wearing the outfit again. It still even felt tight around her chest, being a busty woman and all. By the key was a blue hair tie and she used it to pull her hair into a ponytail.

When she was done, she dusted herself and turned to Hewie. She was about to say something until the door unlocked again and Krauser came in.

"Time to go."

* * *

Leon couldn't help but feel pissed off as he continued his search. How long would it be for Hunnigan or anyone else to take the hint that he wouldn't be calling in? At least here it was highly unlikely that there were any viruses or parasites... dare he jinx it.

After passing a garden with a well, he went through another door and walked down a corridor past a second door without a doorknob but had hooks instead. He found a third door and inside was a kitchen.

_"This could be a great start to find a weapon."_

He examined some of the cutlery on the counter and picked up one of the knives. The silver blade was five inches long. He slashed the air with it a few times to test it. It seemed decent enough to use. It would have to do for now. He fitted it into his dagger sheath.

He was about to go through the next door when he heard a creaking noise behind the one he came from. He then heard the same sound of that dog barking.

"Get moving."

Leon stopped in his tracks. _"That sounded like..."_

Krauser. It was him. It had to be.

When he could no longer hear anything at all after a moment, he slowly turned the handle as quietly as he could and opened it a little to see through. There was no one to be seen so he stepped out and noticed that the door with hooks was open. Withdrawing the knife into his hand, he pressed his back to the wall, knowing it was best not to go in yet. He peeked in and saw a small group on the other side of lowered bars. A door behind it was open, concealing their identities apart from an arm reaching for a lever on the wall and pulled it down. A light switched on beside it.

Keeping the knife close to him, he snuck inside, proceeding to follow. Dolls and mannequin pieces were nailed to the walls all over the place. The room was dimly lit, illuminating them in a freakish way. He went around a wall in the centre but came to a halt when he saw a rug with a large eye on the floor. On one side of the wall were many stone eyes that were closed. Directly opposite were more pinned dolls, only these were coated with splattered blood. An alarm triggered in his head. Something wasn't right about this room. With his eyes on the lever, he crouched down and flattened his palm on the floorboards. He could feel a faint vibration beneath it.

"...Pretty obvious trap you've got here," he mumbled before standing back up.

He stepped backwards before sprinting forward, leaping over the rug. In an instant, all of the eyes clicked open and needles shot out of the pupils, just missing him as he landed safely on the other side with a roll. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the needles had stabbed the dolls, and then to the door in front of him when he heard the dog growling.

"Get that damn dog to shut up!" demanded Krauser's voice, muffled through the wood.

"...It's okay, Hewie," said a second voice, quieter for what was probably because of distance.

The woman? Leon waited a bit more before going in. If this man was Krauser, she and the dog couldn't be safe with him. Plus he owed her for helping him. He kept on their trail across the castle, passing through a grand foyer up some stairs, close enough to keep them in sight and staying back far enough at the same time so they would not become aware of him.

Neither the target nor the woman spoke but the air around them was full of stress and anxiety. Whenever she was stalling, he would shove her forward, making her stumble which made the dog angry. He growled at him every time he was being rough with her and she was trying to calm him down whilst keeping her own cool. Leon glared, not approving of how the man was treating her.

They soon came to a nursery with a crib, a rocking horse and lots of toys and past that was a humongous hall, a nexus staircase was by tall at one half of it. At the other was a large diorama of knights and a horse. Stuck to the walls around it were various ancient weapons and armour of all kinds. To the left was another balcony, a piece of railing was missing at the end, so he hid low there with his steel blue eyes focused on the three as they went to the floor below.

He couldn't see them when they were under the balcony. The woman's steps slowed again, annoying the muscular man.

"I said get moving!"

She didn't respond and it irritated him further. He spun her around and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her to the wall. She let out a small cry as the dog barked viciously, warning him to let her go.

"When I say get moving," the man snapped. "I don't mean stand on the spot like an idiot."

The canine's growling grew louder as Leon stood up.

"I swear if you don't silence this dog—"

Before the mercenary could finish his threat, she began to struggle and broke out of his grasp, pushing him away and took the chance to flee.

"You little bitch!" he shouted at her.

He ran after her and the dog and Leon immediately jumped down to help. He pursued them outside to a backyard.

The woman past the rubble of a collapsed balcony but tripped over a crack in the pavement and fell to the ground. The dog rushed to her aid, snarling at the mercenary when he was right behind her. She turned onto her back, staring fearfully at him. As she shuffled back, he grinned, taking out his dagger.

"Now, are you going to behave yourself?"

Instead of saying anything, her eyes widened. Leon came running straight toward them and yanked him away from her, moving to stand between them with his knife held high. He saw the target's face and as he suspected, it really was Jack Krauser.

Leon glared dangerously at him. "So you are alive...!"

Krauser composed himself and laughed as the woman got up over shaking legs. They were itching to run but she couldn't bring herself to.

"Nice to see you again, comrade," he taunted.

"What are you even doing here, Krauser!?" Leon yelled. "Was Hell not good enough for you?"

Krauser scoffed and then suddenly lunged at him with his dagger. The woman gasped and Leon countered the assault with the knife. She moved away as he fought back against him and her dog continued to bark at the conflict. She felt helpless as she watched the men battle fiercely.

Leon's quick reflexes were able to deflect every attack. Blades chipped against each other yet failed to touch flesh. Krauser slashed at him again but Leon ducked and kicked his side. He fell down and grunted with fury in his eyes. When he flipped back on his feet, his left arm started to pulp rapidly like a beating heart. Parts of its skin shot up in small spikes. The woman's hands covered her mouth in horror. Through clenched teeth, he reached behind his back and pulled out a submachine gun.

As he aimed, Leon turned and grabbed her hand, dragging her away out of harm's way. "Come on, let's go!"

Krauser fired at them and she shrieked under the noise of the blast. They dodged the speeding bullets and vanished around a corner. The gun clicked, empty of its ammunition. He groaned angrily, throwing it to the ground before chasing after them.

They stopped at a blue door. Leon realised they were at the other end of the tunnel he saw earlier.

"In here!" she said frantically.

They hurried inside and she led him up rusty spiral stairs in the middle of the room into a larger one with wooden stairs. Against the walls were blocks with four colours of red, yellow, green and silver. She approached one of them and tried to pull it back as hard as she could. It appeared to be too heavy for her, so he stepped forward to do it himself even though he wasn't sure what it would do.

With his strength, he was able to pull it easier and once it was out of place from all of the other blocks, turning metal was heard. A mechanism with an image of a snake was revealed, sealing the spiral stairs shut. They caught a glimpse of Krauser roaring in a rampage before it closed on him. The woman hadn't calmed yet.

She scurried up one of the stairs and the dog called to Leon before catching up to her at a reddish-brown door with a teal green symbol. She took out a key that was tucked into her boot. There was a mark on it that matched the symbol. She quickly unlocked the door and when it was open, the three rushed in and she slammed it hard with both hands and re-locked it. Safe at last, she sighed and dropped to her knees. Leon leaned against the wall and she pulled the dog into a loving embrace.

_"Looks like Mr. Anonymous was right along,"_ he mused to himself. _"But how can Krauser still be alive? ...And of all places, why would he come here?"  
_  
He would have to worry about that later. He looked at the woman who was now nervous of his presence. She rested one hand on her dog's side with her head low.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he knelt in front of her. "Did he hurt you?"

The moment he did, she flinched out of fright which took him by surprise. He moved back to assure her and gradually, she gazed up at him. Leon became shocked upon seeing her face. He finally knew why she was so familiar. She was the girl he saw that very morning in the news report that disappeared from the car accident her parents died in.

There was no mistaking it. She was wearing a brown leather choker around her neck with a blue crystal that hung over the hollow between her collar bones. He remembered it from the photograph. Only he did not recall bruises.

He was amazed to find her here but now he was becoming concerned for her. A light purple colour circled her left eye beneath her fringe and light hues of red and yellow were seen on her chest and thighs. Her neck was looking sore from when Krauser grabbed her minutes ago. It was like she was being physically abused.

The dog walked up to Leon, happily licking his cheek. The woman didn't expect it, clearly astounded at the sight. Leon spotted this, taking it as a good sign, so he chuckled and ruffled the canine's fur, noticing how clean it was.

"Good looking dog. Hewie is his name, right?"

She nodded in a short and fast motion and stared at him with a naturally soft yet timid expression. Her eyes were a mix between green and blue, like aquamarine gemstones. Even with the bruises, he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was.

"Well, my name's Leon Kennedy. What's yours?"

Of course, he already knew what it was from the news but he wanted to see if she was comfortable enough to say it herself.

"...Fi... Fiona. Fiona Belli."

Leon smiled and offered his hand to shake. She blinked at first, slowly lifting her own. She hesitated yet after a few seconds, she took his hand with hers. Hewie watched them as he panted with his pink tongue hanging out.

Leon's smiled widened a little more. "Nice to meet you..."

* * *

**Hurray! They meet at last :D**

**Review Responses:**

**GlaringEyes - **Thank you very much! I hope this chapter has brought you enough satisfaction til the next one comes along.

**evilinsanity** **-**Aww thanks. I didn't like how my grammar was back then (I still dont lol) but I appreciate your kind words and support. I hope you find a way back into your account here once you've got some free time from uni ^-^

**chiharu-tanaka - **Haha guessed Fiona blended that well with Leon, eh? ;D Thank you and dont worry, I intend to complete this fanfic whenever possible.


	6. Chapter Five

**Hello again, everyone! Thanks for the wait everyone! I really do appreciate the patience. Here's Chapter 5, let's see how Leon & Fiona get along...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

HAUNTING EVIL  
Chapter Five

It had been a long time since Fiona met someone... Someone that did not look as though he wanted to harm her. His eyes appeared to be filled more with sincere concern and honesty. Her heart was still beating heard even after the commotion was over. She didn't know what to do or say. This wasn't what she had in mind when she decided to help him. She definitely knew what Krauser would do. There was no doubt he would notify Riccardo about this and not only would she be punished, Hewie would get hurt as well. She couldn't allow that to happen.

"I should be thanking you," spoke Leon.

"Hm?"

Fiona glanced up to him. She caught sight of a small, thin scar below his right eye under the light brown locks hanging over his face.

"I mean, you did save me from that big guy back then. Thank you."

She reached out to stroke Hewie's back. "Well, I... couldn't let Debilitas kill you."

"What exactly happened earlier with Krauser? The muscle that attacked you."

Her head lowered. "...He was supposed to take me somewhere but was being a little rough. As far as from what just happened, I see Krauser is not a man of patience."

"That sounds like him," he agreed.

Fiona knew it. Any second he was going to start asking more questions. About this place, about her. It made her wonder... Should she tell him? Would it be the right thing to do?

_"No!"_ her thoughts automatically objected. _"He shouldn't get involved in this. He shouldn't even be here!"_

She stood up and he followed in the act. She came up to his chin.

"We ought to get going. Come on, Hewie," she said.

Hewie barked in response and trailed behind her as she turned to Leon.

"This way, Mr. Kennedy."

"Just call me Leon," he almost chuckled, casually shaking his lifted hand. He had to admit it. He actually liked the politeness in the way she talked.

She nodded. "If you insist."

And so the three began to make their way through the castle. Leon saw something on her left shoulder blade. At first he thought it was another mark from abuse but its shape was too unique and clear, unlike anything he had seen before. A birthmark, maybe?

Fiona prayed that they would have enough time before Riccardo would find out. Or even better, that he would not find them. She didn't think they would have that luxury but she was petrified of the thought of seeing him face to face again after this. Yet she knew the moment she locked that door, it was too late to turn back.

* * *

Comfortably sitting at his desk, Riccardo was reading through files from the silver case. He had to make sure every single page was present. They were information about what the capsule held. It was all written by a researcher named Luis Sera who worked for the organization Krauser temporarily served in Spain.

His ice blue eyes flicked to a tank with a window in the corner of the room. A miniature, fleshy creature floated in a red liquid behind the glass, twitching now and then as if it was in pain. He then looked at his hand. A black substance swirled through his vein, visible under his skin. It was gone as soon as it appeared.

The memories of the Las Plagas... It was so many years ago when his ancestors had associated their vocation together with the Salazaar family. His brows narrowed as he browsed through each file, failing to find anything related to the work his ancestors had done for the Salazaars. There was nothing about the Bellis, a clan of alchemists that prospered in this land for centuries.

He repeatedly scanned the sentences, searching for one particular word. Not once did he see 'Azoth' on any of the pages. It seemed that proud Salazaars did not give credit to their original derivation.

The things this researcher had documented, however, were extraordinary. Riccardo was more interested in his own work but this had to be taken into consideration. Especially since Krauser had both sources of power from the Bellis and Salazaars flowing in his body. He found it peculiar that someone like the mercenary had control over his mind and actions, unlike others who were infected with the parasites.

He proceeded to read the next file when the door unexpectedly burst open. Krauser was standing there in the doorway heaving. His left arm was larger than usual, shrinking to its normal size as blood and pus trickled to the ground.

Riccardo only raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"We've got a problem."

He slowly put the file down with his eyes fixed on Krauser's. "Where is she?"

* * *

"Fiona..."

The blonde woman looked over her shoulder for a second to show Leon that she had his attention. They travelled up a long staircase, passed a mirror at the middle of it that was smashed. She opened a door at the top to a circular room. They went in and down steps with railing barriers that curled downward and droplets of water dripped from above to a pool below.

"I came here in search of a group of six dispatched from America," Leon started. "They were sent to investigate this place but disappeared shortly after. I found one of them, Ben Tyler, outside murdered. I'm worried for the safety of the others."

Fiona still had her back to him but he could tell she was listening. He wished she would look his way so he could be more certain.

"The remaining five go by the names of Nicholas Edmonson, David Baxter, Adam Fitzgerald, Garrett Newman and Charles Dawson. Do you think you may have seen any of them?"

She stiffened to that final name, hoping he hadn't noticed. Unfortunately, he did and opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this... but they are dead."

"What? ALL of them!?"

Fiona continued walking. "And you will be too if we don't keep moving."

Leon moved faster to get in front of her. "But how? Were they also killed?"

He watched her eyes grimace shut as he stood beside her. She knew what was going on, alright. She stayed quiet for a moment until she gave him a serious stare.

"The ones in charge here do not take outsiders lightly. You're lucky to be alive right now," she said bluntly.

"What about you?" he interrogated a little firmly. "Why are you here?"

In an instance, he could see pain, fear... terror in her eyes. It didn't last long for she was walking again, rushing down to a door at the bottom.

"Fiona...!"

Hewie looked up between them before following her. She opened the door and waited for Leon, her head facing away from him. He sighed, shaking his own head and went through. The last thing he needed was for them to start off on the wrong foot. She was all he had here and it was better than nothing. Despite their first encounter, he had a good feeling that he could trust her. But could she trust him?

"I'm sorry if I—"

"It's fine," she interrupted, closing the door and taking the lead.

Leon frowned. He could literally feel the insecurity emerging from her. He needed to think of something to ease the tension.

Fiona walked around the corner and into an octagon-shaped room. The door to it had apparently broken off, lying on the floor. On the sides were a grandfather clock, a shelf stand, a plant and in the centre was a small statue of a lady, the size of Hewie, holding an oil lamp with a bright blue glow.

She opened a red door with a diamond engraved on it at the back and Leon was confused when he saw a wall instead of another room as he expected. She didn't seem that surprised about it.

"Damn," she muttered to herself.

"Guess this castle's got a sense of humour," he joked.

"There's a mechanism ahead connected to sectors in this area," explained Fiona. "It rotates to either open of close them off. I was hoping we could use this one as a shortcut. Other sectors could be sealed as well if this one is."

"Ah, I take it our first stop is the place that makes this mechanism rotate?"

She gave a single nod and left the room, turning left. Hewie rubbed himself against her leg, sensing her discomfort as much as Leon could. He didn't say anything although he wanted answers now rather than later. Were Charles and the Spec Ops unit really dead as she claimed? He knew it wasn't going to be easy getting her to talk. It did not take a genius to see that she was afraid to tell him.

What bothered him was... how did she end up from a car accident to an unknown castle?

* * *

"WHAT!?" Riccardo shouted.

"Better believe it," grumbled Krauser as his arm continued to agonize him. "I tried to stop them but they got away. The dog's with 'em, too"

"You let them escape, you fool! Why didn't you use the drawbridge!?"

"I did but by the time I got in the Saturnus door was locked. Leon or Fiona probably found the key to it."

Riccardo gritted his teeth tightly. It could not have been Fiona. She learned very well what would happen if she were to defy him. He had to teach her the hard way for her own good. The intruder must have forced her. Would more bullets have to be wasted if what Krauser was saying was true?

* * *

Fiona pursed her lips together as she tried to think things through. She and Leon hadn't said a word to each other as the three went along the manor, which she preferred, yet the silence made everything feel incredibly awkward. She was aware that he was itching to ask once more even though he was keeping his mouth shut. She appreciated that he was being patient but didn't know how long it would last.

She did not know this man. He was tall and looked strong. He wasn't as big as Krauser compared to his largely built physique but he certainly had to be strong enough to have been able to take him on the way he did. She couldn't help but feel scared with him behind her. He seemed to walk with a stride in his steps. Like he was prepared at act at any moment should anything come after them. What would he do when he could no longer put up with her secrecy? Yell at her? Threaten her?

Fiona tried hard to shake off her nerves. Leon couldn't be a threat if Hewie was not on guard. In fact, the white canine could detect the slightest dangers and he liked their new companion a lot. He was completely on edge with Krauser but with Leon, he appeared to be really happy. She admired him for being so calm under the circumstances, even if he was a dog. She wouldn't dare to look at Leon.

She was curious about him, especially the story with him and Krauser, but she would not pry. It was none of her business after all and it would have given him the right to ask his questions. He had already asked a few and she wanted them to be kept at a minimum. Yet she still couldn't believe what she saw with Krauser's arm before Leon dragged her away. She had seen things here considered unthinkable but nothing like that. How was it possible?

She spotted a familiar door close to a chain-link fence reaching to the ceiling, furniture covered with sheets were behind it. The door reminded her of something, dismissing her thoughts, so she went up to it.

"I just need to collect something."

"Okay."

Leon followed her and Hewie into a bathroom. There was a machine on a side table that resembled a typewriter. An odd place for one to be in, in his opinion. He could also see a candle stand, a damaged mirror above a sink and next to it was a toilet and a little set of drawers. Across from them was a rusty bathtub full of reddish, discoloured water. Near the drawers was what, to him, looked like a word grid with numbers outside of it. It probably held a clue to something. A window with open blinds showed an endless blue void. Nothing else could be seen outside. It was so bold, their reflection easily stood out.

Fiona crouched in front of the drawers and took out a pouch attached to a short, cotton rope from underneath it. Rattling sounds were made as she blew and patted off dust that formed on top of it. Hewie inquisitively leaned his head forward to smell it. She made these a while ago and hid them throughout the castle, glad that Riccardo never found this one.

_"Hopefully he hasn't found the other ones as well."_

When she put her hand in, Leon saw her take out a handful of tiny objects. Some were clear spheres with a purple or yellow powder inside them. The others were green or red jewels. She got up and handed them to him.

"Here. You might need these," she said before typing the rope around her waist in a tight knot. The same rattling indicated more of the objects were in the pouch.

"What are these?" asked Leon, examining one between his fingers.

"They're called Antimonies," she answered. "If someone is pursuing you, throw one at them and it will temporarily paralyse them with a small shock of electricity."

She then pointed to the jewels in his other hand.

"And those are called Magnesias. You set them on the ground and they will explode upon impact."

"Very handy. Thanks, I'll keep a hold of these." He put them into his attaché pack. "Have you ever used them before?"

"...A few times," she replied, her tone hinting that she did not want to talk about it. "Let's go."

Hewie was busy scratching himself with his back leg until he noticed Fiona and Leon head out. He rushed on all fours to catch up with them.

After going through an arch doorway, they entered a dark hallway. The ground was in a T-shape with red lit light bulbs on the floor. Leon could have sworn he could hear carousel music behind a blue door that matched the red one from the octagon room. He thought nothing of it as they passed it to a small waiting lounge and Fiona led them into another corridor. In the middle of it, they went down some stairs.

She looked left and then right to two optional paths as Leon observed a painting on the wall before them between two torches. There was an inscription below it...

'The right path leads to the truth,  
whilst the left path leads to deception.

When the shroud of deception is lifted,  
the fog will fade and the hidden path  
will make itself known.

Oh ye faithful flock, right these wrongs.

If three truths exist, it must be so that  
three lies also exist.'_  
_  
_"More riddles and puzzles,"_ he thought. _"...typical. What is it with these crazy places? Even the police station back in Raccoon City had those weird puzzles."_

"Over here," called Fiona, who was already down the right path to a door that had a mark on it similar to the number four.

Going on first, Hewie started to bark as though he was warning them about something. She wasn't fazed, running a hand along his back to calm him.

There was a closet and framed boards with unrecognisable bugs and butterflies pinned to them by the door. Two desks faced each other against the walls. One had a chemistry set with a couple of notebooks stacked beside it. The second had a chessboard with its pieces on the single squares. At the back was a wax model of two, scrawny men. They were not well-made as the one Leon found in the music room. One was on his knees while the other had his hand on his shoulder. Next to them were an old distillation device and a fireplace with a kiln on top and a heavy hourglass to its left.

"The room opposite this one is identical but there are three things here that are not the same," said Fiona. "They're somehow linked to the mechanism."

"Sooo... by correcting them, the mechanism is activated," Leon guessed.

"Right."

"You've done this before," he figured.

She chose not to respond to that, turning to approach the chessboard. She began to feel jitters take over her.

"You alright?" she heard Leon ask.

"Mm..."

Taking in a deep breath through her nose, she put her finger and thumb on a chess piece, moving them all to their rightful positions, one by one, just like she once did before.

Straight away afterwards, they could feel the ground shake slightly under their feet. The objects around them clattered. Hewie shifted over his paws as the rumbling continued.

* * *

A loud noise emitted from somewhere far beyond the many walls of the manor. Churning chains added to it, causing Riccardo and Krauser to look up. It was repeated two more times with a pause between each one. Riccardo instantly knew what it meant.

"They are in the Room of Truth. Krauser, find them!" he ordered. "Kill the agent and bring her to me."

Krauser nodded and headed to the door, his dagger ready in his restored hand. He stopped midway when Riccardo spoke again.

"Do be sure to be more careful with Fiona this time. I will be VERY disappointed if anything happens to her and you will pay the price for it."

"...I will treat her like a princess," Krauser dully answered with his arms up before leaving to begin his hunt.

"That imbecile!" Riccardo scorned when he left.

He knew he should have shot that agent while he was weak and vulnerable. Now the intruder had Fiona and was going to take her away from him. His plans could be foiled.

He marched to the desk. On it were the photographs he confiscated from the intruder, among the rest of his belongings. He laid them all in a row on the flat surface, glowering at the one with greying blonde hair. The man Fiona called 'Charles'...

_"I will allow Krauser to have his fun with this 'Leon' friend of his,"_ he mused. _"But I will not let him risk her safety."_

Riccardo acknowledged that he was being soft on her. There was too much at stake and he would not approve of her spending a second longer with the agent. He glared at Charles' picture, a stern face gazing back.

He almost lost Fiona before... and he was not going to lose her again.

* * *

**Sorry this one's a little shorter. I tried to add more but I had a bunch of word blocks getting in the way 3**

**Now some of you may notice a few similar traits to RE6 here in Haunting Evil from this point onward, eg. Fiona being all secretive like how Helena was, the name Adam, etc.. Those of you who read HE's original upload will know that I already wrote this long before RE6's release. I was surprised with how I found a whole bunch of things similar to Haunting Evil when I first played the game. Yet I dont see why I should change things I planned out for this story just coz Capcom's done the same thing years later, right? **

**Review Responses:  
**

******GlaringEyes - ** Yep, Fiona's very wary indeed. Looks like Leon might have his work cut out for him...

**NordicBreeze AKA evilinsanity -** Hurray! Thank you so much, that makes me feel happy knowing you think so :D

**Mr.A -** Actually I'm a girl but thank you xD


	7. Chapter Six

**Hellooo again everyone! Its almost 3:30am right now. Im pretty tired but I just had to finish & upload this xD**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Haunting Evil  
Chapter Six

It was clear to Leon and Fiona that their location was given away by the sound of the mechanism. The estate was so quiet, it would have been impossible not to hear it. The two with Hewie hurried back up the stairs and around the next corner. Her fast, advancing steps brought Leon to ignore a display of dolls, which Hewie did not like the look of.

They went through a door, across a bridge over water and out to a graveyard. Leon realised it was the other half of the graveyard he was in earlier. There were more gravestones that had the name 'Aureolus Belli'.

_"Belli... the same surname as Fiona's."_

It didn't seem like a coincidence to him. This castle had a connection to her. He was willing to bet his money on that. Every glance he took her way, he could see trouble in her eyes that wouldn't leave her be. Her behaviour since they met was far too serious yet he knew there was more to it than that. He tried to remember the photo of her and her parents from the news.

She was smiling brightly between them, like there wasn't a care in the world. There was a light in her that he couldn't see now. God only knows what she had been through. Why hadn't she mentioned anything about the car accident? What happened to lead to this? He hated having these questions piling up in his head when someone beside him had all the answers. However, it wouldn't be a good idea to throw them at her at once. She would just cower from him. He hoped he could find a way to help her warm up to him.

At the back of the graveyard was a mausoleum with an entrance leading underground. There was a marble offering with a text and Leon read it out loud...

'Dead spirit craving for life,  
crawling back from the underworld...

Sip of the fresh-flowing life-blood.  
When your thirst is quenched, return  
to the darkness from whence you came.'

"That doesn't sound good," he remarked.

"It will be alright," Fiona ensured. "This is actually one of the safest places to be in. No one ever comes down here for some reason."

There was something taboo that refrained the residents of the manor from going in. She used to take advantage of it and hide there until Krauser showed up. He was not afraid to go in.

At the bottom was a catacomb, its walls, ceiling and ground made of the earth. Amounts of it on the walls were moulded into large arms, legs and torsos. A whole man-like being also made of it stood tall close to bars blocking access to a passageway and faced an open one. Their faces didn't appear to be entirely human. They had hallowed eyes and a slot for a mouth. On a stand was a typewriting machine like the one in the bathroom. In the centre was a candle on an alter. A skeleton was lying on it, holding onto a stone tablet.

They past it into the open tunnel. More fire torches burning strongly lit the catacombs, revealing bones and skulls all over the place. Both Leon and Fiona noticed the other was not unnerved at the sight of death. On the ground, they saw a red glyph of a triangle within a circle and a word that said 'METH'. The end of the tunnel was soon found and Leon could hear dangling chains. He marvelled at how Fiona knew her way around so well. He pondered how long she had been here for. They left the maze and entered what looked like a labyrinth.

_"I wonder who came up with this design,"_ he thought.

Chains extended from multiple angles, holding up a chandelier, cages and armour suits in mid-air. He gazed down the side as they strolled up the stairs they were on. It was very dark down below. Nothing could be seen, as though they would be falling forever if they slipped and fell. Hewie trotted faster and waited for them by a door. It did not continue the crossed stairs. Instead was a long hallway with two paths to the left and right.

They turned right and around another corner down some stairs, going through an unusual collection of antiques in a corridor. One in the middle was covered by a sheet. Further on, the area was difficult to see in with the lack of lights. The windows were thick in a blood-red colour. At the end was a table with small flames on a candlestick by a door. There were rusty bars with a chain-link fence across from it, a prison with a broken bed inside. Fiona reached out to open the door but when she twisted the handle...

She tried turning it again but the door would not open.

"This door is normally open. Somebody must have locked it."

Leon shrugged. "Maybe there's another way around? Like through the left side where we came from?"

"Yes, but it might take a little longer that way."

"Better that than be stuck here."

As soon as they turned to go back, they saw Hewie standing in an uneasy posture. He moved slowly, staring straight ahead with his paws patting on the ground.

"What is it, buddy?" Leon asked him.

Fiona began to fret. "Oh, no...!"

"What?"

Hewie's fur bristled. His tail stretched out and he started to growl.

"Someone's coming!" she panicked.

That was when they heard hefty footsteps from afar heading towards them.

"Shit..." cursed Leon. "Here!"

He rushed Fiona to hide at a corner by the prison and steered Hewie to hide under the table.

"Sh-sh-sh-shh!" she hushed to cease his growling.

Leon stood in front of her, shielding her with his body and raised a protective arm whilst unsheathing his knife. The short space had her pressed up to the cage's bars and chain-wire. She could feel how cold the metal was against her bare back. The steps were coming closer and he gently pushed her back a bit more as he braced himself for combat. Fiona's pulse rose for what was about to come and just then, a chime rang in the air.

_"A luminessant? No—not now!"_

Her heart beated harder. She squeezed her eyelids and urged herself to mutely inhale to slow it down. Luminessant were nothing but a nuisance, always stalking her whenever they were nearby, somehow drawn to her. If it got any closer, they were going to be found.

Krauser was certain he heard something. He was on his way to the 'Room of Truth' as Riccardo ordered but thought it was best to check if Leon, Fiona and that dog were here. The chime caught his ear and he looked behind himself, seeing a hovering blue ball of light. The luminessants did not interfere with his business so he usually paid no attention to them. Yet because this one was floating in his direction, it could mean Fiona was there. He took out his dagger and crept forward.

...until the luminessant came into contact with his back and shattered, sending a powerful shock up his spine. A sound was made like breaking glass.

He let out a howl of pain and Fiona's eyes widened. Leon knitted his brows but kept his weapon up. In frustration, Krauser slashed the air where the luminessant was, oblivious to something falling out of his pocket.

"—fucking luminessant!"

Hewie spotted the object when it landed.

When Krauser calmed himself, he looked back at the narrow, empty corridor.

_"She's probably not here,"_ he concluded and walked away.

Leon and Fiona remained still until his footsteps could no longer be heard. The agent released the breath that he was holding in.

"...phew!" I don't know what that was, but we got lucky," he grinned and slid the knife into the sheath.

Fiona was baffled that the luminessant was attracted to Krauser rather than her. She hadn't seen them go after anyone else until now. Perhaps it was because he was in between. But wouldn't that mean that he had...?

Hewie barked after coming out from the table, his snout pointing to a key on the floor. It wasn't there before. Krauser must have dropped it. She bent down to pick it up and petted his head. There was a sign on it that triggered something from her memory...

_'...Inside you will find the Mercury Ruins, a place of the utmost secrets...'_

Leon saw the reaction on her face. "Do you know where it leads to?"

Fiona turned and stared up at him. "A way out... This is going to sound bizarre... but we'll have to go underneath the castle."

* * *

The creature writhed violently. The metal, glass and red water muffled its screaming anguish. Tiny bubbles rose as it swung its limbs, resisting an internal attack inside its body.

Riccardo showed no emotion as he surveyed the tank. This had been done before. Old records lay on the desk, all of them stained in a yellowish colour, delicate to the touch from ageing. They stated the first was performed less than two hundred years ago during the early times of the alliance between the Bellis and Salazaars.

The last was conducted thirty years ago. He witnessed it himself. It was the day the seventh castellan of Salazaar Castle visited. Followers of both Houses crowded this very room, waiting anxiously as they watched their masters' work. Among the masters, the one conducting the demonstration was one of the most respected members of the Bellis. He went by the name of Ugo Belli. When the castellan's month-long stay had come to an end, it was Ugo who suggested to him and the Belli lord of that period that all of the subjects used be isolated to prevent an infection from overtaking everyone there. It was approved and the Salazaar castellan had the subjects sealed before the followers transported them to the regions below the castle, far from the Bellis' valued source of origins. The castellan acclaimed Ugo personally for wanting to honour his ancestors' wishes.

Riccardo felt his temper rise at the thought of his brother, if he could be called that. He loathed Ugo with a passion. Ugo was the one who was always praised, more gifted. The one who was blessed with what he was not. He almost lost his focus and reminded him, once again, that the past should not beleaguer him. The odds had been evened. He did not have to live under that imbecile's shadow anymore. And now he had Ugo's most beloved treasure in his possession.

But the intruder with Fiona... he could cause more problems than predicted. Krauser warned him about Leon, told him about the government agent's history, his survival of a viral outbreak in North and South America that reanimated the dead into mindless, flesh-eating monsters. He then told that Leon alone defeated the eighth and final Salazaar castellan and the entire Los Illuminados occult, foiling their plans of 'world domination'. That meant Leon would not be so easy to deal with. He would have to think about his ext course of action wisely. He returned his gaze to the suffering creature. This was actually the perfect opportunity to test these experiments.

It stopped moving, merely floating in the water. He glanced briefly at a clock and documented the time length results on a fresh sheet of paper. The top of it was titled, 'Plaga Implantation, Homunculus B IV'. He then got up from his chair, walking towards a row of other tanks. Each one had a slumbering Homunculus inside.

* * *

After a stroke of fortune, Leon and Fiona found a key to an exit. All they had to do was find the door that it was made for. He did not forget that he had orders to terminate Krauser, but he now had Fiona and Hewie to consider. He decided it would be better to get them out first. A trip under the castle wasn't what he expected yet how they got out wouldn't matter so long as they do. He could take them to the base with Hunnigan and the others where they would be safe. He could then make a report, restock on his supplies and then return here to finish the job.

They went back to the catacombs, taking a different route near the 'METH' glyph to a door. There was a second glyph close to it. He thought it would be another pathway through the door. What he got was a glass tube surrounded by water. A light was seen somewhere above them. He noticed a strange school of fish swimming around, recognising some of them from a nature documentary he saw on television once. He definitely identified a red angler fish. On the opposite side of the tube was a staircase, much longer than the previous ones from before. Pipes circulated the walls here and there and they climbed all the way up to a single door.

The room behind it was a lot brighter than he imagined it would be. It was a library. It had two floors but no access to reach the upper one. A grandfather clock was by the door and all of the walls were implanted with bookshelves. Leon had a feeling these books had far more information than any public library could provide. In the middle were more bookshelves with tracks on the floor, indicating they were moveable. One had a ladder and they were lined together to reach a second door high on the wall.

Fiona approached the bookshelves to the left and lifted her finger, skimming it along the neatly stacked books to find a specific one. Leon smiled as Hewie followed her like a little lamb. He could tell the white canine was very fond of her. She paused at a bookshelf at the centre. On one of its shelves were two blue books at either end. She raised her leg and took out the key that she tucked into her boot like before. The books' spines had a symbol that was the same as the key's. Under the symbol of one book had the letter 'X' and the other 'I', the Roman numerals for ten and one. Putting the key back in for a moment, she switched the books to their proper positions. A rumbling sound emitted when she was done and moved back. The bookshelf lowered into the ground and behind it was a door with a matching mark to the key and books.

_"The astrological sign of Mercury,"_ thought Fiona. _"Exactly like he said in that note..."_

"Have you ever been done there before?" Leon asked as she unlocked it.

"No, I didn't know about it until a short while ago. I read about it in m—... a certain...book."

He picked up on her faltering voice but didn't say anything and opened the door. It was pitch-black inside yet they knew there was no need to be overly cautious if Hewie was not. They stepped in with their guards up anyway onto wide stairs. The door closed on its own, engulfing them in darkness and they could hear the bookshelf rise again. Fiona almost jumped out of her skin when Leon gently grasped her hand.

"Stay close to me," he advised. "If only those guys didn't take my flash light."

With a soft tug, Leon walked slowly and guided her through the dark with his other hand brushing against the wall. Not a thing was heard, only Hewie's paws and his faint panting beside the sound of their footwear tapping over stone. Neither knew for sure how much deeper underground they were going. It was already beginning to feel endless with their inability to see.

Fiona didn't like his hand holding hers, even if it was to avoid them from being separated. She could picture Riccardo's, to put it lightly, look of disapproval over her head. She was still not able to ease herself with Leon present. Not him personally, but as a man. Her time here made her frightened of strangers in general to the point that she became distrustful of men. She wanted him to let go of her but at the same time, she did not want to be standing by herself in the dark. A part of her felt bad for being so... negative around Leon.

After long, passing minutes, Leon halted.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Listen..." he whispered.

Fiona stilled herself. "...Running water?"

He took her further down until they gradually saw a blue light coming from an opening ahead. It reflected off Hewie's eyes, making them shine. The sound of water was getting louder as they went through the opening to an edge. He finally let go of her hand once they could see again and their eyes lifted in awe by the scenery before them.

Down below was an ancient ruin within an enormous cavern. A courtyard was in the middle with destroyed buildings covered with overgrown moss due to years of abandonment. Close to the courtyard was what they guessed were entrances to some passages. The wreckage had them presuming these were built centuries ago. Thin streams of waterfalls fell from many points. The most amazing part was that the cavern had glowing blue and green crystals everywhere, lighting up everything. They released tiny, sparkling segments that drifted across the air.

Leon whistled, the tone high by how impressed he was. "One surprise after another..."

"I was aware that there was something beneath the castle," Fiona said breathlessly. "But I didn't expect this."

The edge was the top of a stairway that had been broken off supposedly by a large pillar and rubble lying at the bottom. What happened here? The castle must have been constructed after this place reached its end.

Fiona leaned her head over. "How are we going to get down?"

Leon peered down as well. He estimated it to be ten to fifteen feet. He could withstand the drop but it didn't seem like something she could manage. There were small platforms Hewie could use, which he pointed out for him.

"I'll go first," he offered. "Once I'm down there, you jump and I'll catch you. How about that?"

She did not look so keen about it yet with no other option available, Hewie leapt over to the first platform at her command, working his way to the ground across each one and sat on the spot for them. On his cue, Leon crouched and used his hand to hop over the edge, skidding his feet against the loose rubble when he landed and jumped over the pillar. When he joined Hewie, he ruffled the dog's head and turned to assist Fiona. He stood on the pillar was about to ask if she was ready, only to see that she was already trying to make her own way down, clinging to the rough surface.

Taking her time, she was doing quite well, careful with the weight she pressed her hands and feet on the rocks she held and stepped on. Leon out a hand on his hip and admired her effort. Although she could barely look over her shoulder, she could tell she was near the ground. She was just feeling paranoid with Leon's eyes on her. When she lowered her foot to the next rock, she didn't realise it was weak until it was too late. It started to crumble and gave away, causing her to fall.

"Ohh!"

"Fiona!" Leon shouted in alarm.

She shut her eyelids tightly and waited for pain and embarrassment, expecting to land flat on her face right in front of his toes until something broke her fall. She wrapped her arms around it to regain her balance.

Things grew quiet and she found herself leaning against something hard yet warm... with something beating inside. A heartbeat. There was also another pair of arms wrapped around her. She had fallen right into Leon's chest... Or did he rush to catch her? Her cheeks flushed and she hastily pushed herself away from him.

"S-sorry about that," she stuttered, tilting her head to hide her blush, hoping her fringe would help.

Leon laughed a little. "Don't worry about it. Couldn't let you get hurt now, could I?"

"So he did—... Fiona's pink cheeks became red.

"...Thanks," she mumbled awkwardly.

She jogged to catch up to him and Hewie who started to go on ahead. The three then began to explore the ruins together.

* * *

One of the Homunculi among the row of tanks, springing to life, rammed itself repeatedly against the window.

Riccardo raised his head and walked up to it. He could feel a sensation reacting inside of him and the black substance appeared on his hand again, spreading to his fingertips. The Homunculus smashed the window, tearing itself from its cord and fell out as the red liquid poured on the floor. It heaved and stumbled onto its feet. It had no eyes but could sense him there.

The hooded man lifted his hand and the Homunculus froze obediently. A sly smirk came to his face with his newly gained, absolute control. He directed his arm towards the door that was open. When the connection was made, an image flashed in his mind as it waddled off. He hissed and clutched his forehead, a vision of another Homunculus. Not within the castle walls but below them. Its form transmitted waves, projecting the presence of others... One in particular filled with a divine energy.

His eyes flared as the vision faded. The substance vanished from his skin.

"It can't be..." he uttered.

She was there... in the Mercury Ruins. How could she have known about it? Scowling angrily, he snatched a flintlock pistol off the desk and stormed out of the Transmuter Room.

* * *

**Oh boy, looks like serious business is gonna go down. I know the Mercury Ruins may seem like a random stretch but trust me, it has a purpose for being there. For those who read HE's original upload, you might remember how I said the Mercury Ruins was inspired by a cave in the game Devil May Cry 3 (the blue side of the cave in Lv9 to be specific. Turn left after going through the waterfall and you'll see it). But RE6 gave me one hell of a surprise in Leon, Chapter 3. It really felt as though Capcom saw the images of the Mercury Ruins in my head, put it in their own game and just flooded the place. The resemblance of the old buildings was so uncanny.**

**Man, Im beat. After these RR's, Im gonna go to sleep. Goodnight, everyone! Hope you liked this chapter.**

**Review Responses:  
**  
**GlaringEyes** - Thank you! Thanks again also for the suggestions. They were interesting to read and enjoyable to compare to what Ive had planned out. What do you think now that you've learned a little more?

Oh yes indeed. It would be incredibly forced. Im all for LxF but in a siltation like this, romance wouldnt be on any rational person's mind at this point, right?

**bellibuscus** - Yes, I have! 8D I hope you're enjoying the updated version more. Oh really? Wow! Always glad to meet a fellow LxF shipper. Ive never seen this "Vash's" videos before but I am a huge Cry fan and loved his HG walkthrough. There really are quite a lot of things HG & RE4 have in common, arent there?

**Mr. A - **Whoa, quite a list you've got here. Im flattered that you think I can pull it off and do appreciate it, but Im afraid I am going to have to decline your request. Im very sorry. I would have contacted you a lot sooner about this but I have no means other than here. I barely get enough time to work on my own stories as it is. Plus Ive honestly never heard of this 'Shiki'. But you seem to have it all planned out with all these chapters and character descriptions. Are you having problems with creating your own account and uploading your story yourself?


	8. Chapter Seven

**Weheey! I had a week off, giving me a nice boost of time to finish the chapter quicker than expected. And Ive finally caught up to where HE was last left off *boogies*. I also took the chance to correct as many typo errors from previous chapters as I could but Im sure Ive still got more to fix.**

**Oh yeah, I captured footage of DMC3 & RE6 to show my inspiration for the Mercury Ruins (even though sometimes it feels like it should be the other way around in RE6's case lol). Go to my profile to find the links to them.  
**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Haunting Evil  
Chapter Seven

The splendour of the cavern made Fiona feel almost tranquil. The flowing crystals, its fragments drifting over them... It was so beautiful.

It wasn't long before they reached the ruins. There were only a couple of buildings, not enough for a civilization. A drop of water fell from a leaning pillar and landed on Hewie's nose. He shook his head and looked up.

"Hewie," she called, noticing how far behind he was.

The young white German Shepherd dismissed his curiosity and ran up to her. Leon squinted his eyes to peek into one of the houses but it was too dark to make out anything inside. It was the same for the other buildings. The three walked through the courtyard past a water fountain that obviously stopped working for some time. It had a sculpture of four women in a formation as though they were dancing. One was missing an arm and another was missing a head. She observed it with fascination, her folded hand on her chest, and she used her imagination to envision how it used to be. She then faced her reflection in the water that filled the fountain.

"Hey, Fiona."

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Leon waving his arm for her to come over.

"Take a look at this."

He was standing in front of a tablet double their height between two crystal shards. Its eroding inscription was hardly visible yet they could tell it was not in English, unlike the others around the castle up top. Above it was a sign that she had seen on the clothing worn by Riccardo and someone else... a maid.

"I can't read this," admitted Leon.

"It looks like Ancient Italian. I think I can read this."

"Really? Where'd you learn that?"

After he asked, a sad expression appeared on her face. "... My... parents taught me. They learned it in university."

He had to sympathize for her. _"It must be hard for her to even think about them."_

She remembered how astonished she was as a little girl when she found out both of her parents could speak a language almost none would use today. They were very intelligent people who could also speak in other languages. Her father was from Italy and her mother from England, so it was natural for her to learn both English and Italian at an early age. Yet to learn a language spoken long ago was delightful to her. Something only she and her parents could share. Her father would sometimes test her in a trivia quiz when they ate dinner or drove in the car. But now, being here, she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than fun and games. Brushing the thought aside, she translated the tablet as best as she could...

'Water flows gracefully.  
Water flows swiftly.  
Water flows through us all  
as our source of life.  
Water flows greatest  
in the depths of Mercurius.  
Mercurius grants...'

The last part was tricky because of the erosion so she stepped closer to it...

'Mercurius grants the purest  
to those who seek the power  
of Azoth.'

...and regretted reading it out loud.

"Mercurius? Azoth? Can't say I've heard of them," said Leon.

Her mind raced to find anything to turn his attention elsewhere and saw something close to the fountain. "Oh, there's another over there."

He watched her go to a second tablet and knew what she was doing. She was trying so hard to keep secrets from him. Her demeanour was giving it away.

"It's a map," she proclaimed.

He went up to it and examined it with her. The carving was simple enough to follow and showed that a number of tunnels connected sectors throughout the ruins as one. The sectors had marks for certain locations, including some she recognized in the castle. One looked like the fountain and he pointed his finger to it.

"This must be where we are now."

Fiona continued to scan the markings and saw one representing stairs and trees at the top of the map. She pointed her own finger.

"There. That's where the exit it. It leads to the forest outside the castle."

"That's north from here."

The two stared at each other with a clear idea before heading towards a tunnel behind the map.

* * *

Riccardo stormed down a long corridor. He had to know how Fiona found out about the Mercury Ruins and how she got in. All information of it was strictly hidden. It was unlikely that Leon knew, so it had to mean that she took him there. When he came to a lone door, he slammed his hand on the wood. It burst open and hit the wall with a harsh bash. He marched into Fiona's chambers.

It was the ideal bedroom for a young lady of high class. It had a queen-sized bed with royal purple satin sheets, pillows and canopy curtains at all corners. Alongside was a vanity table, a wardrobe full of the finest dresses fit for a princess, a bookshelf with plenty of books to read and a seated windowsill at a tall window with a spectacular view of Chaos Forest. He preferred her to have this instead of a balcony. The room even had a door to a private bathroom. Riccardo prepared all of this for Fiona long before her arrival.

He started to open drawers and cupboards, rummaging through their contents without any respect of privacy. There had to be something that could clarify her knowledge of the ruins.

By the time he searched the entire room, as well as the bathroom, the place was a mess. He couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. He was about to leave until something caught his eye. There was a slit on the side of the mattress, unnoticed before the sheets were stripped off the bed. Intrigued, he slowly walked up to it, recalling something from three months ago...

_"Fiona! What are you doing with that knife!?"_

Riccardo assumed the worse when he saw her sitting on the bed with a blade in her hands. Yet it turns out she had a different intention all along. He knelt in front of the slit and put his hand inside. His palm felt a flat object and he pulled it out. In his grasp was a journal. At first he thought it was hers until he saw the initials 'U.B.' on the cover. This was not any regular journal. It belonged to Ugo Belli. A lot of pages were torn out. Between the front cover and first undamaged page was a folded note written by another person. The handwriting was weak... and also familiar.

'My dear Fiona,

What Riccardo has done is despicable. I truly apologize for not being there to save you,  
but in my current state, I am helpless to do more than I can. I understand what you must  
be feeling but do not give up. Riccardo may have sealed off the exit, yet there is an  
alternative way out. A way underneath the castle. There is a key of Mercurius, like the  
other astrology keys you have found. Find the key with the symbol of Mercury.

Once you obtain it, go to the library past the catacombs. You will see two identical books  
with the same symbol in incorrect positions. Put them in the right order and a door will  
make itself known. Inside you will find the Mercury Ruins, a place of the utmost secrets.  
This journal will serve you as a guide. He will not find you there and you can take a  
pathway to Chaos Forest.

It will be a strenuous task but you must not lose hope. No matter what Riccardo does to  
you, he needs you alive. Always remember this fact. You can outwit him.

I shall seek out anything else that will be of use to you. I pray for your well-being, Fiona.

Lorenzo.'

Riccardo felt his eyelid twitch reading the note addressed to Fiona. He snarled, scrunching it before tossing it aside and flipped through what was left of the journal. It was sketches of the ruins and marks of each area. One page though, had something Ugo wrote. It was in half, not properly torn out...

'...to protect Ayla and the baby.

Neither Riccardo nor our lord can be reasoned with. If we are to escape, then we may have no choice but to escape through the Mercury Ruins. I will be risking everything—'

The sentence was cut short where the paper was ripped at. Riccardo was unsure how the old man found the journal. It disappeared when Ugo did almost twenty years ago. Either way, he was more outraged than ever. He stood up, threw the journal across the room and left with a huff.

_"Oh Fiona, what a clever girl you are. But not clever enough. Surely you ought to know by now what happens when you try to disobey me. How disappointing..."_

* * *

The pathway was less affected than the courtyard. There were a few fallen debris yet the walls and pillars did not appear to be coming down any time soon. They walked for fifteen minutes straight with no events until they got to a cave with an arch doorway to stairs going up. When they went through...

Fiona's fingers hovered over her lips. "What!?"

A cave-in occurred at some point. The exit was blocked by giant rocks and builders.

"No! H-how did...?"

"Nothing can ever be so simple these days..." Leon commented to himself. "How are we supposed to get out now?"

She was bothered by the word 'we' when she heard it. Her hand rested on her lower stomach.

Thinking about what to do, he turned to discuss it and could see her lost in thought. He wore he had a déjà vu when he looked at her. She was in a similar pose to the figure of the pregnant woman he saw back in the castle. They oddly looked alike. Only she wasn't pregnant. At least there was no reason to think so. She didn't seem to be. Was the figure meant to be of her?

Fiona's eyes were closed, the past taunting her once more...

_"How do we get out of here?"_

_"Thank God you're safe, Fiona..."_

_"RICCARDO, NO!"_

_"This is the price you pay."_

_"If you had only done as you were told..."_

"...fiona..."

_"You have no one to blame but YOURSELF!"_

"Fiona!"

She gasped faintly, startled out of the trance of memories when Leon waved his hand in front of her face, looking worried. "Are you okay?"

"Ah- ...y-yes," she lied, suppressing the feeling that threatened to take over her. "Sorry, I guess I zoned out."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. I'm sorry," she apologized again. I really didn't know this was going to be a dead end."

"Hey, it's alright. There's bound to be another way out. We'll find it."

He went back out of the archway and motioned his hand for her to follow him. She hoped he was right. The map did confirm that the ruins and castle were linked in many ways. Surely one of those ways couldn't be that far off. Leon saw two tunnels in the cave.

"Let's try this one," he said, heading to the left tunnel.

* * *

Riccardo instantly detected the switched books when he and Krauser arrived in the library. After removing one and putting it back in, the book shelf descended, unveiling the door of Mercury. He turned the handle and it was already unlocked.

"Impossible!" he exclaimed. "How did she get the key!?"

Krauser didn't say anything. He couldn't afford Riccardo finding out he stole it from him. He was still pissed at himself for losing the damn thing.

Riccardo held his pistol tightly. Upon entering the darkness, his blue eyes glowed red.

* * *

The crystals in the tunnel were smaller and farther apart from one another. Fortunately, their sight had adjusted to the dark. Water leaked along the ground in puddles. Leon heard Fiona shiver behind him and the sound of material ruffling him. He glimpsed at her and saw her rubbing her arms. Despite how nice the outfit was and how good it looked on her, it was no wonder she was shivering in a dress so thin with a skirt that short. He pulled at the collars between his neck and shoulders.

"Here."

"Huh?" Fiona was taken aback seeing him offering her his jacket. "Oh... no. Thank you but I'm fine, really—"

"Come on," he insisted. "It's cold."

And so he opened and wrapped it over her shoulders. She stiffened but wasn't as intimidated as she thought she should be. The leather jacket was quite big for her size, making her appear so little. It was fleecy on the inside and warm from absorbing his body heat. She mumbled another 'thank you' as she slipped her arms into the sleeves and then tucked them up to free her hands.

He beamed down at her softly. "There you go. Snug as a bug."

At the end of the tunnel, one of the crystals was flickering. She blinked and tilted her head, bringing him to turn around. Something was blocking the light, a sign of movement. A shadow was coming towards them. Hewie could smell a revolting scent. He hunched his legs and growled at whatever was ahead.

The shadow's mysterious owner came into view as it got closer. It was a small, greyish pink, skinless creature no more than a foot high. It didn't have a face, only a mouth, and was wobbling over its feet.

"What the hell is that?" was the first thing Leon said.

Fiona was confused. It was similar to the miniature Homunculi she used to see in the castle. It was constantly bumping into rocks and stumbled to the ground, lying on its belly and panted heavily.

Leon withdrew his knife. "Wait here."

He was about to approach the strange organism and Hewie's growling was replaced with whining. His tail curled between his hind legs and he hid behind Fiona.

"Hewie?" she frowned.

The creature began to gag and shake. Leon shot to full alert and retreated to stand in front of the others in a flash. Instinct made the three back away, uncertain of what was happening. Just then—its back split open. Tentacles rose from it. Fiona gasped in shock. The tentacles produced claws whilst swinging in all directions. Blood mixed with pus splattered everywhere. Leon remembered this all too well.

"Argh—You've got to be KIDDING me!"

The Homunculus shrieked and it was growing increasingly by the minute. Its limbs bulked rapidly and its high-pitched screaming deepened. Hewie ran to a safer distance, barking at Fiona and Leon to come with him. The creature was not a diminutive being anymore. It was massive. IT couldn't see but could feel the presence of three. One of them had a radiating essence of purity. It immediately craved its life source. With a thunderous roar, it charged after them.

"Go, go!" Leon yelled, clutching Fiona's hand as they ran for their lives.

If he had his gun on him, he'd probably stand a chance. He had killed B.O.W.s worse than this in the past. But Fiona and Hewie were his top priority.

The Homunculus sensed them going further away and refused to lose them. The tunnel rumbled as it barged through the boulders. When terrified Fiona dared to look back, she saw its head scraping against the roof of the tunnel. Cracks spread across it.

"Leon!"

He didn't need to look. The cracks were scattering to the opening where they started. They watched in horror as the entrance collapsed. He grabbed her arms and held her back.

"Look out!"

The three stumbled as a heavy mist spread out from the fallen rocks. They spun around, realising they were trapped. Hewie barked in an attempt to fend it off.

Not ready to die and definitely not willing to let Fiona and Hewie die either, Leon shoved his hand into his pocket, taking out a yellow antimony. He didn't know what good it would do but thought it was worth a shot. He hurled it at the creature. It didn't have much of an affect as it burst on its chest. She picked up on what he was going and threw an antimony filled with a black powder from her pouch. The second made enough impact to slow it down. They threw another one each and it managed to stun the Homunculus. It screamed as bolts of electricity paralyzed it and Leon, Fiona and Hewie took the chance to get past and run like hell. Hewie jumped sideways to dodge a large rock that fell. More were dropping around them. The tunnel was falling apart.

The power of the antimonies quickly wore off and the Homunculus resumed chasing them. Leon's grip on her hand tightened and he made himself run faster as they neared the end. Once they would get into open space, the more odds they would have on their side. Fiona felt the strap of her pouch loosen around her waist. She tried to hold onto it but it wasn't easy because of the jacket's thick sleeve and it slipped through her fingers.

"Leon—"

"Forget it! Leave it!"

The pouch made a quiet 'clang' sound under the bellowing creature as it landed on the ground. The Homunculus was gaining on them until its foot stomped on the bag. All of the items inside exploded. A booming noise erupted and the three almost fell over as it wailed out and smashed its head into the tunnel's roof. They reached the end at last and the whole tunnel collided and crushed the Homunculus behind them. When they thought they made it, Leon saw a huge rock fall right above them.

He pushed Fiona out of harm's way and jumped in a rolling motion. Hewie leapt in time before they could be crushed themselves.

The place was covered by a musky dust as the loud rumbling faded into silence. Hewie was barking fearfully as Leon got up, coughing with one hand over his mouth while the other swatted the dust away. He looked around to check on Fiona but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Fiona...! FIONA!?"

Relief surged through him when he heard her coughing as well. The dust settled and he discovered she was on the other side of the fallen rocks that now divided the area after spotting her through a small gap. There was no way he could get to her.

"Are you alright?" she cried when she saw him. "Where's Hewie!?"

"I'm okay. Hewie's with me. I don't think he's hurt."

"Thank goodness... Leon, I'm so sorry! I swear I had no idea this would happen. I—"

"Calm down. I believe you. Are you hurt?"

"No. What do we do now?"

He gazed around the cave and then back to her. "Wait... the map said these ruins are joined together. See if you can make your way back to the courtyard. We'll meet you there."

"A-alright. Please take care of Hewie!"

"I will. Take these." He passed through a handful of magnesias and antimonies to her. "Be careful, Fiona."

"You too, Leon. You be careful..."

* * *

**Oh snap! This aint good, eh folks? D8**

**Im so happy Ive finally made it to this point. After all this time HE's finally back on track xD**

**Review Responses:**

**Bellibuscus - **Woohoo! Yep! I'm also a fan of Tobuscus and Pewdiepie -brofist- I take it you also like Tobuscus by your new screenname? Leon's such a gentleman, isnt he? x3 Oh, you're LalaLovelace? Cool, I didnt realise. Awesome to see you here and Im glad you're enjoying my fic 8D**  
**

**GlaringEyes - **Oh yes, it makes me giddy every time I find even the slightest hint that connects RE and HG together xD

Haha that was more like a humiliated blush but who knows? Let us see what the future chapters shall bring for those two. Capcom does have a habit of recycling stuff from their previous games. They especially keep recycling from HG. They even used Fiona's hair twice O.o

**evilinsanity - **Really interesting twists we're getting here, eh? xD

**Mr. A - **Please do not take this in the wrong way but I meant it when I said I dont have the time for your story. I have enough on my plate already, so I would only keep you waiting going through all of my stories as well other things I need to do. Plus if I dont know all of the stories you wish to crossover, there's no way I can make it work. I hate to sound harsh but I humbly ask that you stop submitting all of these notes in my reviews. Im sorry, I dont want to disappoint or upset you, but I hope you understand where I am coming from.

Like I said, you've got it all figured out for yourself so I dont think you need me to do it for you. It is not hard to join or any other website. You just click the 'Sign Up' button and follow the instructions from there. You just need to think of a screenname, a password and provide an email address. I wish you luck with your stories.


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